San Jose is located in the sunny state California. The town has a lot of historical buildings to offer and one of which is the Hotel Montgomery. The Hotel Montgomery was built in 1911 by the well-known businessman T.S. Montgomery, who is sometimes called the father of the downtown, and the local architect William Binder designed the hotel. The historic building is located in downtown San Jose and is famous throughout the whole US.

The Classical Revival style and the handsome façade, which is brick-colored pergola, are the signature of the Hotel Montgomery. The building is u-shaped and has six balconies with balustrades. Originally the hotel had 142 rooms, a restaurant, a ballroom and two dinning rooms. Unfortunately the hotel was destroyed during the Loma Prieta Earth Quake in 1989.
The hotel is considered historically significant because of its early reinforcement of concrete construction, architectural style and its ties to important people in the towns’ history. The hotel is on the California Register of Historical Places and is eligible for the National Register.

The hotel had to close down after suffering extensive damage during the earth quake, but it was relocated in 2000. It was relocated only 186 feet from its previous location to First and San Carlos Streets. The move attracted a lot of media attention because of the significance the building has to San Jose.
A Redevelopment Agency hired an architect to redesign the first floor of the original building, which had to been demolished prior to the move. The first level included an elegant ballroom, which was torn down because of space limitations. An Architectural Resources Group documented design features and drawings and salvaged historical material for the inside of the hotel. These will be available for the architect, who redesigns the hotel. There are plans discussed to restore the building to a boutique hotel.
When staying in San Jose one should definitely take a look on the historic building. It is important to the history of the town and its inhabitants. One can get a better feeling for the town by exploring its past and Hotel Montgomery is part of it.